1 John 2:16"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not the father, but is of the world."
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it's simple. They've been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can't get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
Temptation plagues all of us. Too many times we are caught in a behavior we know we should avoid, a situation we know we shouldn't be in or a place we know we shouldn't be. Just like the monkeys, we care more about the pleasures of the seeds than we do our long-term stability. We choose a moment of gratifacation over what's best long term. We grasp at seeds while the enemy grasps at our lives. We are tempted, we choose to sin and then it cost us something. So my goal is to address the root of the problem... Temptation.
Before we go any further we must understand the simple truth of temptation. Temptation is not a sin. Just because you are tempted to do something wrong doesn't mean you've chosen to partake in that action. Jesus was tempted and he never sinned. Likewise, never base your spiritual level on the amount of temptation you face. You're not less in the eyes of God because you face more temptation than someone else. Stop destroying your determination by discounting yourself every time your tempted. You are flesh and until you pass the pearly gates, you'll always be tempted.
1 John 2 makes it clear that ALL sin, and therefore ALL temptation, falls into three areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life.
Lust of the flesh - Evil desire for things of the flesh. An appetite for what pleases the carnal things you can taste, touch, smell, hear and see. It's a sensually impure desire.
Lust of the eyes - To covet and desire more material gain. Jealous, envious or greed centered around what you have or don't have.
Pride of life - Vain craving for honor, applause or recognition. Seeking pedigrees, title, position or status.
You're tempted in relation to these 3 items and then you make the choice to act or resist. Ben Franklin said "It's easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that will follow." The struggle is within the choice. Do I have the strength and courage to say no? Do I have the focus to be stay the course? In our moments of weakness we might not have good answers to those questions but I believe it's not all about my ability; It's His help.
Hebrews 2:18
"For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted." (Succour means to help or to aid)
I don't believe Jesus wanted us to attempt to navigate our temptations alone. He didn't die on a cross to abolish sin and therefore we can choose any lifestyle we want because God will forgive us. Likewise, He didn't choose to let us wander alone and determine our own path. God's grace was never intended to just be a bandaid that covered up our mistakes. It's a changing agent that teaches us how to not fall back into the same pattern. Jesus came to teach AND live out the way to resist every temptation of the enemy. Not only did Jesus die for all sin, he lived as an example of how to overcome the battle of sin each of us face.
In Matthew 4 Jesus is led by the spirit into the wilderness for 40 days. While he is alone Satan tempts Jesus in 3 separate areas: lust of flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. Jesus never sinned because He knew how to appropriately respond to each of these temptations. He wants to teach us to do the same.
Lust of the Flesh
Satan: If thou be the Son of God, command these stones be made bread
Jesus, I know your fasting but your flesh really wants food so go ahead and feed it. You're the Son of God, right? This means you should have the power to satisfy your own needs. Satan appeals to a legitimate need in an illegitimate way. Your flesh wants this, so go ahead and feed it this way. At any cost, Satan wants you to satisfy the craving of your flesh. This teaches us a very important lesson on the word appetite.
Your appetite for carnal things will never be fully and finally satisfied. We often think that some amount, some appropriate size or some goal will fulfill our appetite. But the truth is your appetite wants more and it wants it now. You'll never satisfy your flesh and ultimately a temporary fix can lead to a permanent regret. Andy Stanley preached a message about appetites and brought out a story in Genesis 25. If you'll notice the Bible always refers to the Lord as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but it was supposed to be Abraham, Isaac and Esau. Esau was promised the birthright and more than likely a heritage, but because he sold it for a bowl of soup, he lost everything. His appetite for a temporary fix created a permanent mistake that destroyed his legacy. Don't let Satan tempt you into satisfying a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.
Jesus: It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God
There are lots of areas in this response you can point out, but one glaring and simple focus is clear. Jesus points out that your spiritual needs must exceed your carnal needs. As long as you focus on satisfying a carnal, fleshly need in your life, you will neglect the spiritual areas that will help you overcome addictions. As long as your mind is on the desires of your flesh, your mind can't dwell on the power in His word. My appetite must consist of feeding on His word instead of my momentary desires.
2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in rightouesness"
Psalm 119:9 "How shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Your word"
Psalm 119:11"Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You"
Pride of Life
Satan: After he sets Jesus up on the pinnacle of the Temple "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, he shall give his angles charge over thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash they foot against a stone"
Ok Jesus, this is your perfect moment of self promotion. Just go ahead and demonstrate who you really are so you can receive the honor and recognition you deserve. Let everyone know your greatness, THEN they will know you are the Son of God. Satan tempts Jesus to step out of God's divine will and develop an agenda of fame and recognition. He attempts to build pride.
Pride is such a tricky spirit to catch. It begins internally so quiet, with motives and attitudes, but it ends externally obnoxious with arrogance and shameless self promotion. Satan would like nothing more for us to develop so much pride that we push God out of the equation in order to take control of our own lives. He would like us to have so much pride that we lose the need for repentance, submission and humility. Pride says "I deserve a place of authority." Sometimes we are tempted to manipulate God's will so it align with what we think is best.
Jesus: "It is written again; thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"
Again, Jesus' answer is clear and simple. By attempting to manipulate the will of God we can tempt God into something He does not have planned. Relationships with Jesus Christ are not built on tempting God to do what we want, but trusting God that He is always in control. Trusting that he will "...keep thee in all thy ways."
Satan quotes Psalm 91 but he misleads and misquotes what it actually says. He leaves out the second part of Psalm 91:11 where it says "to keep thee in all thy ways." Satan wants you to think you need control. He wants to make you forget that the Lord will keep you in all your ways. No matter the position and title or lack thereof, the Lord will keep you in all your ways. The solution to pride is humility. Humbling yourself to the point where your opinion means nothing and His will means everything. It's trusting that God will always take care and keep you. Don't let pride force you to tempt God to get on your terms, but trust that as you walk with Him, He will always take care of you. His will is ultimately the best thing for you, not your will.
Proverbs 29:23
"A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor"
Proverbs 18:12
"Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor"
Deuteronomy 8:14
"Your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord "
Lust of the Eyes
Satan: After he takes Jesus up on a high mountain and shows Him all the Kingdoms of the world, "All of these things I will give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me"
Satan tempts Jesus like he does us; You can have this world if you sacrifice your spiritual stances. Think about the money you can gain if you just let down your morals, convictions or callings and choose this particular career. Think about the fame and honor you can receive if you just live differently. Think about all the time you will have if your not wrapped up in the "God thing." Think about all the places you could go and all the things you can have if you would only forfeit these beliefs you're holding onto. Wouldn't it be better if you were able to do ________. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't have to do __________.
Coveting eyes will consume every part of you. We all have a desire for "better," but if "better" cost us biblical truths or personal convictions, its not "better," it's destructive. The first passage that comes to mind here is Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" It always bothers me when a Christian places a price tag on their convictions. When a conviction, a God given direction or stance, becomes conditional, spiritual digression is occurring. Convincing ourselves that we've matured past our previous convictions is like removing a brick from a house's foundation. There's a reason it's been established and messing with one brick will affect other parts of the foundation, and ultimately the house.
Jesus: "Get thee hence Satan; for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
I imagine Jesus is pretty tired of these temptations and he knows this is the last one He will have to face. His answer is concise and full of authority. No other being is worthy of my worship because I serve the one true living God. My service to the King is the lifestyle I desire above everything else. The temptation to desire what I could have is not as appealing to me as what I have already attained and what's promised to me in God. While coveting pulls us to jealous, envy and bitterness, service to the King calls us to humility, love and being content. When your service and your worship is all directed to the King, you'll have an authority to resist all the devils temptations.
James 4:7
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Exodus 20:3
"Thou shalt have no other God's before me"
Psalm 95:6
"O come, let us worship and to bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker"
Remember this:
1 Corinthians 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
You can have the knowledge, ability and authority to resist and escape any temptation. When the choice comes during the temptation, you have the solution to resistance.
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